Graceling
Response: Category A,
Prompt 2
Graceling,
by Kristin Cashore, is a novel in a young adult series that takes place in a
fantasy world. Throughout Graceling, there is a reoccurring motif
of eyes; emphases of eyes can be found in various instances throughout
Cashore’s novel. One of the more obvious examples of this motif can be seen
(pun intended) in the main character herself: Katsa. Katsa has two different
eye colors; one eye is green and the other is blue. However, aside from Katsa’s
own eyes, there are also other important occurrences in the text where this
motif is at play. The motif can be found, and further complicates the reading
of Graceling, when Prince Po loses his eyesight.
Like Katsa, Po also has two different eye
colors; one of his eyes is silver and the other one is gold. Unlike Katsa,
though, Po is Graced with perceiving and mind-reading (however, he is only able
to read minds when people are thinking about him). Po’s abilities to perceive
and mind-read metaphorically tie in with his actual eyesight. Eventually,
though, Po is deeply injured and is left blind. When Katsa learns of this, she
is upset. Po, on the other hand, explains that he was angry until he “found
it.” When Katsa questions what Po has found, he replies, “Clarity. My thoughts
cleared. There was no light in the cave; there was nothing to see. And yet I
sense the cave with my Grace, so vividly. And I realized what I was doing”
(Cashore 449). Here, Cashore uses Po’s blindness as a way for him to understand
himself and the world around him; he is only able to truly understand his Grace
when he is blind. The motif here speaks to readers as Cashore’s commentary for identity,
potential, and (arguably most importantly) power; Cashore is suggesting that
once a person is able to see without using their eyes, looking beyond what is
in eyesight, they are able to finally understand the world around them. Readers
are then able to understand Cashore’s eye motif and learn that it is a
reoccurring symbol for “coming-of-age.”
In many adolescent texts, the expected
coming-of-age almost always occurs when the protagonist is finally able to
“see” the world for “what it really is”. That is, to understand the
world/society/societal structures/power dynamics for the first time with a new
perspective or adult lens. Additionally, the coming-of-age usually ties in with
understanding oneself and being comfortable with one’s own identity. When Po
learns of his Grace, he is able to see the world clearly, despite being blind.
Thus, Graceling uses the motif of
eyes to express adolescent themes such as identity, power, and understanding.
Hello Josie,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your analysis and understand of eyes and eyesight in the novel. The part about Po is especially interesting, as it sets an underlining theme throughout the novel. To add to your analysis, you could have also mentioned King Leck's Grace as a counter argument and the fact that his eyepatch stands for deceit and manipulation, in an effort to conceal that same identity and power.
Hi Josie,
ReplyDeleteNice work with this analysis. Yes, eyes are a motif in Graceling which reinforce a larger theme of coming of age, maturing, or simply seeing the world clearly. Katsa in many ways is blind to her own sexuality, to her ability to say no, to the feelings of others, etc. Po serves as an eye-opening character for her, one that gives her the push to become an aware adult figure by the end of the novel. Of course, there is some bitter irony in Po having to lose his eyesight after serving as this figure, but as you point out he sees more clearly once he realizes the full potential of his grace. Thus eyes symbolically reinforce this notion of the power of knowledge and understanding that are necessary to our development.